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Dell Inspiron 1420 (?) not powering on
I read other forums about this problem but they didn't fit the one i have. I am a beginner and I have no idea what to do.
When i press the power button the power light and wifi light turn on for nearly a second and shuts off. The wifi light shuts off before the power light shuts off. The screen doesnt even turn on.
I tried taking the battery out and holding the power button down but it did not work. I also tried changing the battery also just running it on ac adapter but there was no difference. Now what can I do? (I hope you guys can recommend something a beginner like me can do. You know, things that don't include taking the laptop apart and that kind of stuff)
And yes this computer is old. It runs Windows Vista and I had it for quite a while, since 2007 or something. I swear it was brand-new when i first got it.
ejn63
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June 9th, 2013 10:00
Unplug the system, remove the battery and hold the power button for 30 sec. Remove and reinstall both memory modules (if memory serves, one is easily accessible under the door at the bottom of the system, while the other is under the keyboard).
Verify that the LED on the AC adapter comes on and stays on before you plug in the notebook end. If it does not, the adapter is very likely faulty and needs to be replaced.
Plug back in and try powering up. If it will without the battery but not with it, the battery is bad.
If it won't power up thereafter, the mainboard is toast. It's not worth the couple of hundred dollars it'll cost just for a mainboard for a system this old - start shopping for a replacement system.
ejn63
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June 9th, 2013 15:00
If you're not willing to work with the hardware, you'll need to bring the system to a computer shop for troubleshooting.
Very often on older systems the memory modules lose contact with the sockets - which can lead to a no-boot. If it's not that, it's likely the mainboard - where you'll be facing a repair bill north of $300 with labor.
CravenGrandmast
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June 9th, 2013 15:00
I DID say I wasn't good at these things... And this computer were talking about is way too exalted to just bench and get a new one. Anyway I tried the power button thing before I came here. All the stuff after that I couldn't understand. Can you put it in more detail for me? Either that or recommend something easier?
Meh. If I can't use the computer anymore then I'll (force myself to) do my stuff on this filthy iPad.
CravenGrandmast
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June 9th, 2013 17:00
Well fml. I had a newer one but something happened to that too. Just forget that this ever happened. I give up.
CravenGrandmast
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June 9th, 2013 17:00
Or at least explain these instructions in a lot more detail. I can't really understand what you said before and as my username states, I am craven. I don't wanna do anything wrong now. Can you at least do this, for an old Emmeryn-ish person like me?
ejn63
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June 9th, 2013 18:00
You will need the service manual
ftp.dell.com/.../inspiron-1420_Service%20Manual_en-us.pdf
Unplug the system. Remove the battery. Hold the power button for 30 seconds.
Open the memory compartment at the bottom of the system. Remove and re-insert both memory modules.
Plug the adapter into the wall but not the system. Make sure the LED on the adapter comes on. If it does not, the adapter is faulty and will need to be replaced.
Plug the adapter into the system and try powering up. If you can without, but not with the battery, the battery is faulty.
If the system won't power up after reseating the memory modules, and with a good adapter, the mainboard is almost certainly faulty. If that's the case, the repair will easily exceed $300 with labor -- not worth it on a system this old.
CravenGrandmast
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June 11th, 2013 18:00
Didn't work, as predicted. Thanks for taking/wasting your time for me. Maybe this'll help someone else but me. But someday I'll get $600 to burn and use it to fix both of my computers and live the life I used to live before these incidents.
Thanks again.
~sack_of_loathsomeness